Uncharted Territory
by Dr. Stitches
Summary: Harry is beginning his sixth year at Hogwarts with a secret the size of a dragon. But what will our hero do when that secret becomes to big to keep? And it seems a school rival is keeping a similar secret.


Disclaimer: I don't own anything Harry Potter. Not even my little brother who dressed as Lord Voldemort at a library party and was put in the newspaper for it.

I'm looking for a beta so if someone wants the job please contact me.

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><p><strong><em>Prologue<em>**

_Helynski- a magical being thought to be nonexistent even amongst the wizarding populace..._

Harry Potter laid in his bed at the Dursley's on his back as he examined an odd emerald colored stone he had found in the hedges a while back. The stone sat perfectly in the middle of his palm and when raised to the sunlight the light was reflected in dazzling fractures and colors. But the sunlight didn't pass through the stone and when held in regular light nothing happened. Raising the stone to the sunlight's mercy once more Harry's eyes narrowed as he noticed something new. If he looked directly at the stone in the sun's rays and not at the display it cast- he could almost see a tiny form on the inside.

Sitting up, Harry brought the stone closer and repositioned his glasses for a better view. And sure enough, inside the stone that was the same shade of green as his eyes seemed to house an embryo. He almost cursed his thoughtless actions until he saw the unborn shift inside. Amazed, Harry silently thanked Merlin that the tiny creature within had survived despite the lack of a constant temperature that eggs normally required to mature. "What are you?" Harry asked the developing being and not expecting an answer of any kind.

He almost dropped the egg, though when the critter shifted once more and something hit the inside of the egg and a tiny crack appeared. Apprehensive of what was to come, Harry hurriedly but gently placed the egg onto his bed covers and backed up. He didn't doubt that whatever was inside was magical, it had to be to survive three months of being carried around as if a hunk of rock. And often what was magical was also dangerous despite it's innocent nature. Harry couldn't forget the incidents following Norbert the Dragon or Buckbeak the Hippogriff. Hedwig hooted in her cage and fluffed her feathers in agitation as another, longer, crack appeared on the surface and the egg shifted slightly on Harry's bed.

Harry glanced towards the doorway as he heard heavy footsteps pounding up the stairs. He couldn't risk the Dursley's finding out the egg. Shifting his focus back to the egg Harry was slightly relieved when he saw it was sitting still once more. From somewhere in the back of his mind Harry recalled something about eggs hatching being a very long and tiring job for the occupant. Seeing nothing else happening, Harry stood in a rush and closed his window and it's curtains before running to the door just as it was being opened and blocking the intruder's view of his bed. "What do you want, Dudley?" Harry asked the thick boy with narrowed eyes as he consciously slowed his breathing.

"Mum's been calling you for hours, sent me to see if your doing something you oughtn't," Dudley answered simply with a sneer. It was strange, since he had been back Harry had seen a slight change in the way the Dursley's treated him. They still hated him, that was clear. But a distant, reproachful, respect seemed to be there also, now.

"I'll be right down," Harry said and shut the door on Dudley's pudgy face. He cast a quick glance around the room, looking for a place to safely store the egg while he was away. His closest would have to work. Approaching the bed Harry bent down and cupped a hand around the egg before snatching it back in alarm. It had burnt him! Harry glared at the egg prior to his gaze landing on the untouched covers of his bed. Harry wasn't stupid. Either it didn't want to be moved or it was warning him that moving it now could be costly. Sighing in resignation to the being fighting to come into this world, Harry backed up and lowered Hedwig's cover over her cage. Casting a final glance towards the egg sitting seemingly innocent upon his bed Harry left to find out what his Aunt required from him.

Petunia Dursley sat in the kitchen reading a book with a timer ticking beside her. The thin woman didn't look up as Harry entered and cleared his throat to announce his presence in case she didn't hear him. "I know you're there, boy," she spoke up as she turned the page. "You're leaving tomorrow for that school of yours, correct?"

"Yes," Harry answered suspiciously as he watched her carefully for any clues that would give him a slight advantage over her.

"Then I'll get right to the point- you're sixteen, almost seventeen," here she finally looked up and locked eyes with Harry. "Vernon and I have been talking and we've agreed it's time for you to be on your own. We're moving out of the country so you won't burden us anymore," she stated bluntly.

Harry didn't know how he should react or feel. The last of his family were abandoning him and even though they were abusive and neglectful, it hurt somewhere in his heart. He had always thought it would be him leaving them and not the other way around.

"Feel free to tell that freak of a headmaster of yours, we'll out of his reach. Vernon and I have made sure of that," she added just as the timer went off. Standing up, Petunia walked over and opened the oven to check on the roast she was cooking, clearly dismissing the brunette.

Harry was confused. He was happy about finally being free of the Dursley's yet at the same time he was depressed that he was being abandoned yet again. A frown on his face, Harry distractedly walked back to his bedroom and paused as Hedwig's shrieking met his ears. Frightened for the only true friend he'd ever had, Harry rushed into the room and stopped, frozen in astonished shock. The egg lay fully cracked on his bed and Hedwig's covering was shredded. The snowy owl herself was fluffed in indignation but otherwise was perfectly fine. Looking around the room Harry didn't see the hatchling anywhere. He stepped further into the room and toed the door shut before approaching the bed and glancing underneath. Still no sign. Harry stood up further flummoxed. His window was closed, the curtains shredded though, so there was no escape there. His closet was closed but even then the hatchling couldn't get out through there. Which left only the door that which he had come through and hadn't immediately closed. Harry turned towards the door and stared at it in horror. If he had let the creature out that had torn apart his room...

A slight weight settling on his hair had Harry freezing, all he knew about the creature that had hatched from the egg was that it could easily shred , He began to reach a hand up to risk knocking the creature off when it shifted again and he stilled in anticipation. It shifted once more and Harry gasped as emerald eyes peered at him from a tiny, pearl-white dragon head no bigger then his thumb. A soft chirp was emitted as Harry felt a slight draft from above and guessed that the dragon had fluttered it's wings. Summoning his courage, Harry raised a hand and was promptly surprised when the small creature atop his head willingly crawled onto it. The hatchling dragon fit perfectly on his palm and Harry briefly wondered if it was really a dragon considering the first baby dragon he had seen had been the size of a small dog. A pretty big, small dog. The pearl colored scales shone brightly as wide emerald eyes looked pitifully up at Harry. The little dragon opened it's maw and chirped again as it fluttered both wings. "You're hungry," Harry stated in awe as the little being chirped once more, fluttering it's wings and snapping it's mouth closed on air.

"Wait here, I'll see what I can get you," said Harry, setting the dragon on the bed carefully. He backed towards the door watching the dragon for any signs it might not listen to him. Yet when his hand touched the door the little creature was still seated on the bed and watching him equally carefully, as if he didn't quite trust the brunette to come back with food. Shutting the door sharply behind him, Harry turned around and raced down the stairs. Sliding to a stop in front of the living room phone Harry racked his brain for his friend's number. Hoping it was the correct one, he punched in the ten digits and listened anxiously to the dial tone. _"Jean speaking, how may I help you?"_

"Um, is Hermione there? This is Harry," Harry stated, hoping he got the right number after all.

_"One moment, dear," _the woman identified as Jean said before her voice became somewhat muffled. _"Who's Harry? Is he your boyfriend?"_

_"Harry?"_ Hermione asked as she took the phone from her mother without answering her question. _"What's wrong?"_

"Merlin, I thought I had the wrong number for a while," Harry sighed in relief before remembering why he had called. "What do baby dragon's eat?"

_"Crickets, small mealworms, and finely chopped fruits and vegetables- wait, what? What kind of Dragon are you talking about and why do you need to know?"_ Hermione asked, her tone changing as her brain caught up with the knowledge she was spewing.

"It's hard to explain over the phone, I'll tell you more on the Express tomorrow," Harry said and hung up. Walking into the kitchen, Harry pulled out a carrot, a single celery stalk, an apple, and a pear. Ignoring his aunt's curious gaze he pulled out a sharp knife and expertly diced the food with skills gained from long hours slaving in the kitchen for most of his life. Using the knife he swept the finished product into a bowl a swiftly rinsed off the knife before returning it to it's place. He was halfway up the stairs when he recalled what Hagrid had fed Norbert. Going back to the kitchen, he briefly wondered what the ratio was but figured he could wing it. He pulled out a glass and set it on the counter, after filling a fourth of the way with brandy he turned to the fridge and began digging in it. Grinning in triumph, he pulled out the whole chicken he found. If Petunia had been watching him curiously before, now she was praying that her freaky nephew wasn't planing on cursing them and wishing she hadn't told him their plans now as she watched him pour the chicken blood into the cup. "I wonder if this will work," Harry mused aloud before wandering back up to his room and leaving a very frightened Petunia Dursley in his wake.

Shutting the door on his aunt's shrieking, Harry was glad to see the small being curled up on his bed sleeping. He set the bowl of diced fruit and vegetables and the cup full of brandy and chicken blood on the bedside table. Harry watched the dragon for a few seconds before reaching out a hand and running it across silky scales. A loud rumble was emitted from the dragonling's chest as it barely opened an eye and peeked up at Harry. "I don't know if it's the correct food, sorry," Harry shrugged.

Sniffing the air, the dragon stood with wings neatly folded and walked over Harry to the bedside table. It sniffed first at the glass of mixed liquids before turning towards the bowl. Standing precariously on it's haunches, the dragon reached out a clawed forearm and took a piece of fruit daintily into it's grip before bringing it to it's mouth and neatly nibbling on the apple piece. Chirping in delight, the dragon threw aside it's displayed manners and thrust it's maw into the bowl to devour the feast of fruit and vegetables set before it. Harry grinned in pleasure as he watched the tiny beast gladly take of the meal he had made for it. His mind shifted back to the next day and he frowned. He had a lot to do before the day came. "I need to do some research," said Harry as he watched the dragon finish eating and then curl up on his pillow to sleep some more. Glancing at the clock, Harry's mind was abated as he saw that it was only four in the afternoon- he-d have plenty of time to go to Diagon Ally and locate the things he required. He hoped Ron could meet him there because he knew almost nothing about dragons much less the different dragon species. He wondered which one was vegetarian as he gazed at the untouched mixture.

Harry decided to visit Twilfit and Tatting's, a shop he had heard only good things about, since Ron couldn't get out of his chores. Entering the small, upscale shop, Harry immediately understood how they got their reputation. There was not a speck of dirt in sight, and only the best of fabrics were clearly used. "How may I help you, young man?" asked an older woman sitting at a desk and sketching something.

As Harry approached her she flipped to a clean page and waited expectantly. "I don't need a robe made but I'll pay you handsomely if you take my commission," Harry said, locking eyes with the woman. He didn't know where else he could go and get what he needed made.

"Oh? And what is it you do need?" the woman asked pleasantly as she picked up her pencil and put it to the blank page.

"A carrying pouch that will fit any size object comfortably. The materials used must be able to withstand a dragon's claws and fire but not be disagreeable to them either," Harry listed off what he had thought up earlier. "I need it to allow a good air flow, too."

"And why do you need such a specialized carrying pouch? It's not for anything that could get the both of us in trouble, is it?" the woman paused in her sketching of the pouch to look up at him with sharp eyes.

"No ma'am. I know someone who works with dragons and likes plants," Harry replied, thankful to Ron's brother.

"Hmm, then it will need the ability to keep a constant temperature while in use," the woman jotted down a couple notes before continuing with the sketch. "Can you come back around seven? Ask my assistant Tiffle for 'Potting's Carrier'," the woman dismissed Harry with a nod.

It was with mild surprise that Harry left the shop and a feeling of pleasant accomplishment enveloped him. He still didn't know what his little creature was exactly but at least he now had a way to bring it with him and so that he may learn about it and how to take care of it. Even if he couldn't find any books on the small dragon, he knew Hermione could. Harry wandered down Diagon Ally to Flourish and Blotts where he browsed around the book shop where he bought _Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit _and _From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide._ It was ten til seven when Harry began making his way back to Twilfit and Tatting's.

"Between it's covers you shall find what you need," a child pressed a black leather book into his hand, "but keep it's secrets from those who know not. Fore its treasure is only for the keepers to reap." Backing away without the book, the child waved goodbye before disappearing into thin air, golden eyes with cat-slit pupils flashing only once. Harry stared after the child with confusion for a couple minutes. He couldn't tell if the child was female or male with ebony hair that framed an androgynous face. Small hands had been elegantly long with neatly trimmed nails, and cold to the touch. He could have sworn he had seen scales decorating the child's jawline, also.

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><p>So? How did I do? Any questions? Suggestions? I'm an open book and will take anything into consideration.<p>

Helynski is pronounced as hell-in-skii


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